Sociology Exam 2 Tuesday February 17 2015 Chapter 4 Socialization the life course The process of socialization is how people learn attitudes values and behaviors appropriate for members of their culture Socialization occurs through human interactions that begin in infancy and continue throughout life Sociologists recognize biology nature to some extent but the life course is mostly a social construct our lives The self is a distinct identity that sets us apart from others the self emerges as we interact with others and continues to develop and change throughout The looking glass self says our perception of ourselves comes not only from direct contemplation of our personal qualities but also from our impressions of how others see us developed by Charles Horton Cooley rst we imagine how we present ourselves to others second we imagine how others evaluate us third we develop some sort of feeling about ourselves Comes from our imagination therefore we can develop self identities based on incorrect perceptions of how others see us Stages of the self developed by G H Mead is a useful model of the process by which the self emerges de ned by 3 stages preparatory stage play stage game stage Prep stage child imitates actions of others Play Stage child takes the role of a single other as if he or she were the other Game stage child considers roles of 2 others simultaneously generalized other the attitude expectations of society as a whole a child takes into account in his or her behavior self signi cant others refers to those individuals who are most important in the development of the early in life we learn impression management when we slant our presentation of the self in order to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences parallels with the dramaturgical approach Piagets cognitive theory of development reasoning is a process of biological maturation Identi ed 4 stages in the development of thought processes Sensorimotor stage young people use their senses to make discoveries Preoperational stage children begin to use words and symbols to distinguish objects and ideas 1 Tuesday February 17 2015 Concrete operational children engage in more logical thinking Formal operational adolescents become capable of sophisticated abstract thought and can deal with ideas and values in a logical manner Frued Agrees with mead and cooley that the self develops through interaction but adds our natural impulsive instincts inborn drives are constantly at con ict with societal constraints Erikson 8 stages of man the process of socialization is a constant struggle between nature and nurture rites of passage are a means of dramatizing and validating changes in a persons status can mark separation as in a graduation ceremony or incorporation as in initiation the development of the social self is a lifelong transformation from crib to deathbed Anticipatory socialization is the process of socialization in which a person rehearses for future positions occupations and social relationships Resocialization is the process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in ones life Degradation ceremony stripping a person of their individuality often through humiliating activities Total Institution an institution that regulates all aspects of a persons life under a single authority prison the military mental hospital Four common traits all aspects of life are conducted in the same place under the same authority any activities within the institution are conducted in the company of other in the same circumstances authorities devise rules and schedule activities without consulting participants all aspects of life are designed to ful ll the purpose of the organization The family is the most important agent of socialization in the United States Gender role refers to expectations regarding the proper behavior attitudes and activities of males and females tough masculine tender feminine parents play a critical role in guiding children into gender roles deemed appropriate in a society a culture subculture may require that one sex or the other take primary responsibility for the certain jobs sex ascribed status refers to biology based traits As a child grows older the family becomes less important in social development and peer groups increasingly assume the role of Mead s signi cant others Mass media especially the internet and technology echo and amplify much of teens socialization The workplace is important because learning to behave appropriately in an occupation is a fundamental aspect of human socialization occupational socialization can be most intense during the transition from school to job but it continues throughout ones work history 2 Tuesday February 17 2015 Both organized religion and government have impacted the life course by reinstitution communities and early industrial societies Structural functionalism approach socialization is learning core values of society so that we become contributors to integration and order in society Con ict approach socialization is learning patterns of social inequality and ideologies that support the status quo Social construct labels assigned to people according to the society in which they live includes race ethnicity and gender They are culturally relative and arbitrary Chapter 5 Social interaction Social Structure Groups Social interaction the ways people respond to one another Social structure the way society is organized into predictable relationship work together Both closely related to socialization adjusting to social structure and learning rules for social interaction Our response to someone s behavior is based on the meaning we attach to his or her actions Reality is shaped by our perceptions evaluations and de nitions Elements of Social Structure Status any of the full range of socially de ned positions within a large group or society from the lowest to the highest A person can hold a number of statuses at the same time Social Roles a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status a person must undergo preparation and anticipatory socialization for a role Group any number of people with similar norms values and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis Social Networks a series of social relationships that links a person directly to others and through them indirectly to still more people groups link the individual to the larger society by belonging to a number
View Full Document
Unlocking...